Door structure



Oct. 27, 1936. v w. A. BEAUCHAMP. 2,058,658

DOOR STRUCTURE Filed June 3, 1935 -f/\/ VEN TOQ- M//L Ffa/ED /1 'EAUC/L/AMP Patented Oct. 27, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DOOR STRUCTURE Application June 3, 1935, Serial No. 24,626

4 Claims.

This invention relates generally to sliding doors for railway cars and is directed more particularly to a construction adapted for association with a front edge of such doors.

In railway cars employing sliding doors to close openings provided in the side walls of the cars, it is customary to so construct and associate the margins of the doors and the side walls of the cars to insure as much as possible against the ingress of rain, cinders and other foreign matter which might prove injurious to the lading in the cars. In the presently utilized construction for the attainment of this purpose the forward margin of the door, which is provided with a weatherproofing member, is adapted to cooperate with a substantially channel shaped front stop member having a flange by means of which said member is secured to an outwardly directed flange of the front door post. The channel shaped member is riveted to the post flange which, to permit disposition of said member for proper cooperation with the front margin of the door, must be sheared. The securement of the channel shaped member upon the car thus requires the punching of holes in the door post, the driving of a vertical row of rivets and a shearing operation of the post flangev entailing a reduction in the section modulous and strength of the door post.

The instant invention has for its main object the provision of a construction by means of which the foregoing enumerated objections are avoided, thus eliminating the cost of labor and materials and a reduction in post strength attending the I now utilized construction. In the achievement of this object it is purposed to fasten the front stop member, which is preferably of Z-shape in cross section, to the car by means of an existing row of rivets employed to fasten the vertical margin of the car sheathing to the door post, thereby dispensing with the need for punching additional holes and for driving an additional row oi rivets to secure the front stop member to the car. The outwardly directed flange of the door post is then bent at substantially a right angle and the flange thus formed is utilized as an abutment for the front stop. The full section modulous and strength of the door post are thus maintained, while at the same time the post is utilized as an abutment for the front stop member to prevent distortion thereof by accidential blows delivered against it from one direction.

With this and other objects in View, which will become clear as the description of the invention proceeds, this invention comprises the novel structure and combination of parts hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out and defined in the appended claims.

In the drawing forming part of this specificationv Figure 1 is a partial elevation of the front portion of a sliding door and the `adjacent part of a freight car embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken on line 2 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing the presently utilized form of construction.

The instant invention will be made to appear more clearly by reference, first, to Figure 3 of the4 drawing in which there is Villustrated the present construction utilized adjacent the front edge of the door opening provided in a side of a railway house car.

'I'his Vdoor opening, designated by the numeral I, is defined at its forward edge by means of a substantially Z-shaped .door post II. The door post is arranged with its web I2 disposed parallel to the car side wall I3. The flange I4 of the door post extends inwardly, whilethe flange I5 of said door post extends outwardly. The side wall of the car is. completed, as far as the instant invention is concerned, by means of metallic sheathing I6 secured to the web I2 of the door post by means of a vertical row of rivets II and an inner lining I8 secured to nailing strips I9 and which may be fastened to the inner flange I4 of the door post. Angle clips 2I are secured to the inwardly extending flange I4 at spaced intervals and to these angle clips are secured abutment members 22 for a purpose which will hereinaiter appear.

The opening I0 inthe car side wall I3 is adapted to be controlled by a sliding door 23. The door may be of any desired construction. As villustrated, however, it is a metallic door and embodies a metallic panel V24 which is provided with spaced horizontal corrugations 25 and vertical corruga tions, one of which is indicated at 26. Eachv of the vertical corrugations may be closed by vmeans of a reinforcing plate 2l extending across the corrugation and riveted to the panel 24 on opposite sides of said corrugation. A sealing and reinforcing member 28 is secured to the marginal portion of the door 23.

The door illustrated is of the lift type and utilizes elevating and supporting mechanism designated generally by thereference numeral 29. In its closed position the door is adapted to be fastened to the car side wall by means of a hasp fastening device indicated in its entirety by the reference numeral 30. Opening and closing mechanism is designated as a whole -by the reference numeral 3I.

In its closed position` the door 23 is adapted to abut against a front stop member 32. Y'I'his front stop member is of the type now commonly utilized wardly extending flange I5 oi the door post I2. With the front stop member now `employed it has been found necessary to shear the outwardly extending leg I5 of thedoor post, as indicated at 36. In addition, this outwardly extending leg must be punched or drilled in order to provide holes through which the attaching rivets 35 are driven to fasten the front stop member to the door post.

The substantially channel shaped portion of the front stop member 32 providesl-ineffect a pocket within which the front margin of the door is received in the closed position of the door and which cooperates with the door reinforcing and sealing member 28 in order to prevent ingress of foreign elements into the car, which might prove injurious to the ladingiherein. It will be observed that the abutment members 22 engage the channel shaped portion of the front stop member 32 so as to reinforce said front' stop member against blows delivered thereto by the door in its closing movement.

In contrast with this known construction, the structure presented by the instant invention is simpler, sturdier and more economical. There is utilized a front door post 31 having a web 38 disposed parallel to the side wall I3 of the car, an inwardly extending flange 39 and an outwardly directed flange 4i! which is bent forwardly to provide a flange 4I. By this construction of the post, it is evident that the operation of shearing of the outwardly directed flange, as required in the old construction, is avoided and the full section modulus and strength of the post retained. A front stop member 42 of substantially Z-shape in cross section is utilized in connection with the sliding door 23. The front stop member 42 is provided with an inner flange 43 and an outer flange 44. The inner flange 43 serves as a means by which the front stop member 42 is secured to the web 38 of the door post. In this securementof the front'stop member the rivets I1 utilized to fasten the front margin ofthe metallic sheathing Hi to the web of the door post are employed,'thereby avoiding the necessity of an additional row of rivets and the cost incident thereto. The `web 45 of the front stop member is extended outwardly beyond the flange 4I of the door post and, together with this flange and the flange 44 of the front stopy member, provides a pocket 46 for the reception of the front margin of the door when'the latter is in its closed position. The flanges 4I and 44 and the web 45 of the front stopmember cooperate with the door reinforcing and sealing member 28 to provide a weatherproof construction at the front margin of the door.

The front stop member 42 is strengthened, not only against distortion by blows delivered by the door in its closing movement, but against distortion by blows which might be delivered against the front stop member from the opposite direction. To aid the frontstop member in resisting blows delivered by the door, abutment members 41 are utilized. In order to aid the fro-nt stop member in resisting blows from the opposite direction, the flange 4I of the front door post is arranged to abut against the web of the front stop member. The door post, consequently, is not only maintained in its full integrity,but is utilized as well as an abutment for the front stop member.

It will be apparent that numerous changes and modifications of the details of the instant invention may be resorted to by those skilled in the art. Itis, therefore, intended to comprehend all such changes and modifications within the purview of the invention, which is to be limited only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a railway car having a door opening in a side wall thereof and a sliding door for closing said opening, a door post defining the forward edge of said door opening, said post being of substantially Z-shape in cross section and arranged with its web parallel to the side wall and one flange extending outwardly, a front stop member for said door secured to the web of said post, said outwardly extending post flange being bent toward said member, and a flange provided on said member disposed in outwardly spaced overlapping relationship with the bent portion of said post flange to provide therewith a space for the reception of the front margin of said door in the closed position of the latter.

2. In a railway car having a door opening in a side wall thereof and a sliding door for closing said opening, a door post defining the forward edge of said door opening, said post being of substantially Z-shape in cross section and arranged with its web parallel to the side wall and one flange extending outwardly, a front stop member for said door secured to the web of said post, said outwardly extending post flange being bent toward said member, said bentportion of said post flange abutting said` member, and a flange provided on said member disposed in outwardly spaced overlapping relationship with the bent portion of said post flange to provide therewith a space for the reception of the front margin of said door in the closed position of the latter.

3. In a railway car having a door opening in a side wall thereof and a sliding door for closing said opening, a door post defining the forward edge of said door opening, said post being of substantially Z-shape in cross section and arranged with its web parallel to the side wall and one flange extending outwardly, a front stop member for said door of substantially Z-shape in cross section, said stop member having a flange riveted to the web of said door post, a web extending outwardly and a flange at the end of said web directed toward said door opening, said outwardly extending post flange being bent to form a flange abutting the web of said stop member, said web extending outwardly beyond said latter flange whereby to cooperate therewith and with said outer flange of said stop member to provide a pocket for the reception of the front margin of said door.

' 4. In a railway car having a door opening in a side wall thereof and asliding door for closing said opening, a door post defining the forwa d edge ofsaid door opening, said post being of su stantially Z-shape in cross section and arranged with its web parallel to the side wall and o'ne flange extending outwardly, said wall including outer metallic sheathing, means securing said sheathing to the web of said door post, a front stop member for said door having an inner flange fastened to said web by the means securing said sheathing thereto, said stop member comprising a web extending outwardly from said securing flange and an angularly related flange directed toward said door opening, said outwardly extending post flange being bent toward said web of said member and abutting thereagainst, said latter flange, said web of said member and said angularly related flange defining a pocket for receiving the front margin of said door.

WILFRED A. BEAUCHAIVIP. 

